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续上篇《电子阅读》 ? No book company has come close to Apple’s magic touch. But the technology, availability of content, and consumer behavior may be aligned for a breakthrough this year. “The puzzle pieces are on the table, ” says aTimothy O’Reilly, founder of the tech publisher O’Reilly Media. “You’ve got the ctitical mass of content, and you’ve got attractive hardware. What we don’t have yet is an attractive business model that connects them all together.” Sony is clearly attempting to pulloff this feat. Its combinations of devices and online store is reminiscent of Apple’s approach. The Reader is impressive: a slim, sturdy package that weighs nine ounces and comes bound in heavy faux leather. But it’s unlikely just yet to become the kind of cult hit Apple has on its hands. The Reader’s controls can be clumsy to use. Plus, new books for the device will cost about the same as books from megastores like Borders, and readers will have to search the Web on their own to get classics that have gone off copyright for free. ? The other makers of digital readers are treading cautiously. Jinke, a Chinese company, plans to sell into the education field in China and other markets. But it declined to comment in detail on its plans. Irex Technologies, a spin-off from Royal Philips Electronics, says it will make a device available for sale by April. CEO Willem Endhoven says the company will begin by selling to companies, such as newspapers or textbook publishers, rather than directly to consumers. ? There are sure to be other companies that introduce readers in the months and years ahead. Plastics Logic Inc., a British startup, is working on a flexible display the size of an 8 1/2-in.-by-11-in. piece of paper that can receive books, news, or e-mail wirelessly. It’s partnering with Japan’s NTT DoCoMo and plans to have a product on the market by early 2008. There’s even speculation that Apple could come out with its own device, an iPod designed for books. The secretive company hasn’t said